The National Times - News around the clock from Sydney, Australia and around the world

Palestinian militants had begun a "war" against Israel which they infiltrated by air, sea and land from the blockaded Gaza Strip on Saturday, Israeli officials said, a major escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Chinese firms of "fuelling" a drug addiction crisis in the United States, as he met with officials in Shanghai on the first leg of a visit to the country.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz starred with both bat and ball as Bangladesh launched their World Cup campaign with a dominant six-wicket win over Afghanistan in Dharamsala on Saturday.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit western Afghanistan on Saturday killing 14 and injuring 78, an official said, with predictions the toll could rise after reports of landslides and victims trapped under collapsed buildings.

Poland summoned the Dutch ambassador on Saturday claiming that the arrest of Legia Warsaw players after a European match may have been motivated by prejudice against Poles.

Palestinian militants have begun a "war" against Israel which they infiltrated by air, sea and land from the blockaded Gaza Strip on Saturday, Israeli officials said, a major escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The men's kabaddi final between India and Iran at the Asian Games descended into chaos and was suspended for about an hour on Saturday over a disputed decision, before India finally sealed the title.

Fiji's fairytale World Cup campaign has captured the imagination of the rugby-mad Pacific nation, where fans are willing their fleet-footed rugby heroes into the knock-out stages.

India were crowned Asian Games men's cricket champions on their first attempt and without needing to bat Saturday in an anti-climatic finish, consigning Afghanistan to a third consecutive silver.

Twin sisters Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi won Asian Games gold on Saturday -- then said they hope to stand on the podium together at next year's Paris Olympics.

World number two Iga Swiatek breezed into the China Open women's final with a one-sided victory over Coco Gauff in Beijing on Saturday, handing the American her first defeat in 17 matches.

Palestinian militants have begun a "war" against Israel, the country's defence minister said Saturday after a barrage of rockets were fired and fighters from the Palestinian enclave infiltrated Israel, a major escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

India surged past a landmark 100 medals at the Asian Games in Hangzhou with golds in archery and kabaddi on Saturday, on a bumper final full day of competition in Hangzhou.

At least 56 people are confirmed dead in floods that hit India's northeast as of Saturday, with the army warning munitions washed away by the deluge posed a public safety risk.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins said Saturday his team are content go about their game "quietly", in contrast to the ultra-aggressive style of earlier Australian sides.

England must avoid regarding Ben Stokes as a "messiah" or a "Superman" if the champions are to get their World Cup campaign back on track, according to teammate Mark Wood.

A bipartisan delegation of US lawmakers led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer arrived in China on Saturday, the latest high-level US officials to visit China as Washington seeks to ease tensions with Beijing.

The superheavyweight giants wrap up the Asian Games weightlifting on Saturday but it was the North Koreans' stunning return after four years that raised eyebrows in Hangzhou.

Pakistan players may be banned from competing in the Indian Premier League but TV footage of the lucrative tournament played a part in the team's opening World Cup win.

Barrages of rockets were fired from the blockaded Gaza Strip on Saturday, killing at least one person in Israel, an AFP journalist and medics said.

From Liberia's swampy slums to superstar footballer and national president, George Weah is running for a second term in elections on Tuesday, defending a controversial record in office and facing determined opposition.

Basketball great Yao Ming branded China's team "slackers" and warned they will struggle to qualify for future Olympics because of the "huge gap" with the world's best.

India surged past a landmark 100 medals at the Asian Games in Hangzhou with golds in archery and kabaddi on Saturday adding gloss to their best showing ever at an Asiad.

Japan have called on their inner Samurai spirit to take on Argentina in a mouth-watering winner-takes-all climax to Pool D of the Rugby World Cup in Nantes on Sunday.

Dozens of rockets were fired from the blockaded Gaza Strip towards Israel on Saturday, an AFP journalist in the Palestinian territory said, as sirens warning of incoming fire blared in Israel.

Six suspects in the August assassination of Ecuador presidential candidate and anti-corruption crusader Fernando Villavicencio were killed in prison on Friday, officials said.

The Vatican may have saved thousands of Jews during the wartime papacy of Pius XII but the late pope's silence on genocide will be debated this week during an international conference.

A Spanish company launched the country's first private rocket on Saturday in a step towards bringing Spain into the exclusive club of space-faring nations.

As Dianne Finez helps her Latino and African American students through their first surf lesson, she remembers the time she first took to the waves, trying out a sport she barely even knew existed.

With his broken surfboard pointed skywards, a child steps out into the sea.

South Korean Kim Hyo-joo fired four birdies in a three-under par 68 on Friday to maintain a two-shot lead in The Ascendant LPGA in Dallas, Texas.

After more than a century living with a macabre mystery, the US town of Reading, Pennsylvania is finally closing the casket on its oddest-ever resident -- a mummified man set to be buried Saturday.